Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case: Supreme Court seeks NIA stand on activist's plea seeking interim bail

The top court in September last year extended the stay granted by the Bombay High Court on the implementation of its verdict granting bail to Raut.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday sought a response from the National Investigation Agency to a plea filed by Mahesh Raut, an accused in the Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case seeking interim bail to attend rituals after his grandmother's death.

Senior advocate Mihir Desai, appearing for Raut, sought interim bail on the ground that he had to go to Gadchiroli to attend the ceremonies after the death of his grandmother.

A bench of Justices Sanjay Kumar and Augustine George Masih asked the NIA to file a reply and fixed the matter for further hearing on June 21.

During the course of the hearing, the court noted the funeral was already been finished on May 26. The court asked petitioner's counsel to provide further details.

33-year-old Raut was arrested by the NIA in June 2018.

He is at present lodged in Taloja prison, for his alleged involvement in the case.

According to the prosecution, provocative and inflammatory speeches were allegedly made at an event that was allegedly backed by banned terror outfit CPI (Maoist), which later led to violence at Koregaon Bhima village near Pune in 2018. Raut along with many others were arrested for their alleged involvement in the case.

The Bombay High Court had on September 21, 2023 granted bail to Raut. But the NIA, after two days, moved the apex court

The apex court granted stay on the HC's order on September 23, 2023 on a challenge made by the NIA to the Bombay High Court's order.